Back to Basics: MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots in Painterly and Bare Study

April 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
MAC's Bare Study (left) and Painterly (right)

MAC’s Bare Study (left) and Painterly (right)

Great for everyday — wear them alone, together or as a base for a completely different eye look.

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Bare Study

Bare Study resembles champagne with a bit of silver and white pearl. To apply, I suggest using your ring finger or an eye brush intended for cream eye shadows (Chanel’s Complexion brush No. 10 works well). I’m still not brave enough to forgo using an eyeshadow base thanks to my oily lids; with that said, a few friends of mine can attest to the fact MAC’s Paint Pot formula doesn’t crease on them.

For a cheaper alternative to Bare Study, Maybelline’s Eye Studio Color Tattoo Metal Eyeshadow in Barely Branded is a close second with undertones of gold.

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Painterly

Painterly is a nude cream with pink and grey undertones. A few years ago I tried Painterly, but returned it because I didn’t like how poorly it performed (keep in mind, this was before I learned about the wonders of eyeshadow primer). I couldn’t track down a proper dupe, but if you know of something please feel free to chime in :)

Swatches of Bare Study (left), Painterly (centre) and Bare Study Layered over Painterly (right) without flash

Swatches of Bare Study (left), Painterly (centre) and Bare Study Layered over Painterly (right) without flash

Swatches of Bare Study (left), Painterly (centre) and Bare Study Layered over Painterly (right) with flash

Swatches of Bare Study (left), Painterly (centre) and Bare Study Layered over Painterly (right) with flash

What are some of your must-have basics?

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for MAC’s Pro Longwear Paint Pot:

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 9 out of 10 bags – Solid performers.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

  • The MAC+Haley Williams collection springs to mind :) I believe it hits counters this week.
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You decide: which new makeup item is on your radar?

March 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

New releases

New Releases
Which new makeup item are you dying to purchase?

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What’s in your (makeup) bag? Vol. 2

January 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Ever wonder what’s in your friend’s bag? Want to take a peek and see what others are wearing? Please join me each week to find out ‘What’s in your (makeup) bag?’

Erin, nail extraordinaire, loves to help you get yo nails did; she’s the Californian born beauty behind some of my manis.

Erin

Erin

Erin's makeup bag

Makeup from left to right:
Trish McEvoy Beauty Emergency Card IX (with case and brushes)
MAC Cremesheen Glass in Just Superb
Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain in Desire
MAC Studiofix pressed powder

Question Erin

Erin can also be found on the Twittersphere @getyonailsdid.

Want to share the contents of your makeup bag? Send me an e-mail — nicole at bagful of notions dot com.

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A peek at the cheeks: MAC & Marilyn Monroe Legendary Blush

October 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment

If Barney Stinson roamed the earth during the 50′s, he’d say Norma Jeane or Marilyn was “Legen-wait for it – dary.  Legendary!  Blonde or brunette, it don’t matter.”  Marilyn Monroe was, is and will always be legendary for her modelling, singing and movie career in Hollywood — a true triple threat. Men loved/wanted Marilyn and women wanted to hate her or be just like her.

Cosmetics and perhaps cosmetic surgery helped with Norma Jeane’s transformation in order to become Marilyn Monroe.  It’s fitting for a company such as MAC to encapsulate Marilyn’s essence — mysterious, humble, shy, beautiful and glamorous into a 28 piece collection for Autumn 2012.

MAC & Marilyn Monroe

Even the inside of the packaging is sealed with a kiss!

Macro of Legendary

Legendary swatch without flash (left) and with flash (right)

A subtle coral is nestled within a sleek and shiny black compact.  Shimmer with a bit of orange spice makes my cheeks flush in the best way possible.  My skirt flutters above the steel grate and I don’t care, because my cheeks are alight with pure pleasure from MAC’s Legendary.  Three passes with MAC’s 168 brush is (almost) all I need to brighten my day ;)

Wearing Legendary

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for MAC | Marilyn Monroe’s satin blush in Legendary:

  • $45.00 AUS / $22.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 10 out of 10 bags — Blushbaby no longer reigns supreme!

Likelihood to purchase again:

  • I’ll be picking up a back up, because I can see myself hitting the pan quickly. You’ll have to visit your local MAC counter or store as Legendary is sold out online.
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Five Playful Pressed Purples by MAC

October 7, 2012 by 5 Comments

During my years at Suffolk University I became a creature of habit with my schedule.  On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays you would typically find me in class, studying or reading US Weekly with Diana and MB in an attempt to pass the time whilst we “worked”.  Whenever I walked to South Station in lieu of hopping on the T, I tried to make a pit stop at Filene’s in order to check out the latest collections at MAC, Benefit and Stila.

I quickly developed a penchant for purple shadows, thus kicking off my addiction to makeup in general. Velvet, frost, satin, veluxe pearl or matte — you name it, I have it :)

Clockwise from the top: Creme de Violet, Petalescent, Plum, Zeal & Trax

  • Plum was the first taste of purple for me.  It was released by MAC somewhere between 2004 and early 2006.  My weekly visits kind of meld together, but I seem to remember Plum being released within a butterfly themed collection.  Plum is a beautiful aubergine hue with the subtlest hint of shimmer.
  • Petalescent was purchased as a complimentary base for Plum to mingle and chill with. This particular formula is a satin shadow and makes me think of a purple-y dusty rose shade.
  • Creme de Violet is a purple laden with golden shimmer and undertones of magenta.  Yet another playmate of Plum’s.
  • If a true purple isn’t your thing, you can always opt for Trax — a golden purple with reddish brown undertones.
  • Zeal is the big sister to Miss Creme de Violet.  Zeal is a rosy pinkish purple with golden shimmer.

I’ve totally dated myself by featuring three shades which are no longer available for purchase via MAC’s website. Oh and I did a bit more digging, Plum was released with the Madame B collection in 2005.

Which purple shades are your favourite?  Too bad MAC didn’t do a much bigger vault release.

 

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A glimpse at the lips: MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Sunny Seoul & Coral Bliss

September 23, 2012 by 2 Comments

I love me some MAC Cremesheen.  Love the way it feels, looks and performs.  Hot Gossip sealed the deal for me a few years back.  When MAC announced the release of eight new permanent colours I jumped for joy!  Then, I left work on Monday (during my lunch hour, of course) and purchased Sunny Seoul a.k.a Full of Seoul and Coral Bliss.

MAC Cremesheen lippies

While we’re on the topic, does anyone know why MAC is selling Sunny Seoul and Full of Seoul?  Can you spot the differences, aside from the names, price points and colour descriptions?  Here’s a side by side comparison for you to ponder over.  MAC, enquiring minds want to know!

Sunny Seoul, U.S. (L) and Full of Seoul, AUS (R)

Sunny Seoul (L) and Coral Bliss (R) without flash

Sunny Seoul (L) and Coral Bliss (R) with flash

Sunny Seoul (L) and Coral Bliss (R)

The differences between the two aren’t all that vast when I wear them — I can thank the colour of my lips for that. When swatched, Sunny Seoul reminds of Italian Ice, specifically the watermelon flavour and Coral Bliss is similar to that of orange sherbet.  Awwe, screw it.  Let’s blow this popsicle stand and pick up a few ice cream cones, my treat!

Tip: If you have super-pigmented lips like me, first, I’d dab a bit of foundation on my lips and then apply my lipstick to increase the colour payoff.

Wear time is average.  I wore Sunny Seoul during an afternoon of epic pampering, by the time my massage was through (call it three hours) Sunny Seoul was nowhere to be seen.  Coral Bliss performed in a similar manner during drinks and nibbles yesterday evening.

If you want a low-maintenence look and don’t mind touching up throughout the day, then give this latest installment of Cremesheen lippies a shot.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for MAC Sunny Seoul and Coral Bliss:

  • $36.00 AUS/tube / $15.00 USD/tube

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 7 out of 10 bags — Hot Gossip is still my favourite shade!

Likelihood to purchase again:

 

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A quick hello and update..

September 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Hey Everyone!

Scott and I are about to embark on a weekend together in Sydney for our wedding anniversary and my birthday. Yeah, we eloped two years ago today :)  Crazy how time flies so quickly.  But before we jet off, I wanted to leave you with a few tasty morsels from my week.

First up, the Too Faced lippie I purchased last week was I want Candy.  Jury is still out on performance, however, I’ve been enjoying its creamy texture.

I want candy

On Wednesday night I attended Melbourne Spring Fashion Week and had a blast playing with my new camera. During the 30 minute show I took over 2,000 photograph – I viewed the whole event through the camera! For the night I wore this shirt from Sass & Bide, I lined my eyes with Illamasqua’s Glister and applied Naked Rose on my cheeks.

My makeup on the night of the runway show

Model on the catwalk wearing a dress by Alice Euphemia

Currently wearing Butter London’s Scouse on my nails.  It’s the perfect shade of ‘birthday girl’ blue!

Finally, I woke up to Birthday-versary hugs and these this morning…

My new Coach bag

Oh, heyyyy!

I’m officially beyond spoiled and lucky!

A few other tidbits…

Did you know Target Australia was asked to remove counterfeit MAC products from their shelves?

Have you seen Chanel’s Rouge Allure lip range?  It looks stunning!  Rouge Allure features 16 beauteous shades.

Fashion’s Night Out took place last night, did you spy/buy anything lovely?

Thats about it for now.  Have a lovely weekend and for those of you who live in Melbourne, tether yourself down so you don’t blow away!

Want to keep up with me during my trip? Follow me on Twitter and Instagram…

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Painting my face for the work day in less than 10 minutes

August 26, 2012 by 3 Comments

In just a few steps…

1. Start with your foundation and or face powder of choice.  I used Bobbi Brown’s BB Cream in light. I also applied Bobbi Brown’s Concealer Kit (not pictured) in order to minimise the blue circles under my eyes.

2. I then filled in my eyebrows with MAC’s Mystery, a satin, true brown which matches my brows to a T.

3. Thanks to Madison magazine I now own something from BECCA.  I picked up an Eye Tint in Vicuna with my magazine purchase the other day.  I skipped the primer and applied Vicuna (think MAC’s Shroom, but in cream form) all over my lids.  BTW, this formula stays put!

4. MAC’s Something Special gives me that subtle, natural glow on my cheeks.  I grabbed for my liquid foundation brush and stippled the colour onto the apples of my cheeks.

5. I coated my lashes with Benefit’s They’re Real - Diana, I promise to review it soon!  The brush is a cross between Givenchy’s PhenomenEyes and Chanel’s Sublime de Chanel.

6. Finally, I painted my pout with Bite Beauty’s Zinfandel to last me the day.

Ready to start the day!

What’s your morning makeup routine like?

 

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MAC’s Dear Diary & Embrace Me – swatches and review

July 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

From the desk of 14-year-old Nicole:

Dear Diary,

If you could create a super-awesome MAC collection which brought together polka dots, bright colours, a bit of attitude and harmony that’d be cool with me.  I can do my own makeup, like, pretty okay, but I’m really looking for a fun colour that’s easy to wear and lasts all day long at school.  And, it can’t come off.  I don’t really have time to hit the bathroom for touch-ups every hour – teachers don’t hand out hall passes like candy.  I mean, come on!

So, get on it and keep me posted.

Yours,

Nicky

xoxo

Earlier this month MAC released a limited edition collection ranging between brights and pastels – punk rock goddess, Beth Ditto just so happened to be their muse.  Plus, it helps she loves to pack a punch with her makeup and her curves.  Fearless and confident – those are two things you need to be or hope to achieve when applying a bit of Dear Diary and Embrace Me.  These bright watermelon pink hues were released with companionship in mind, but you can certainly take each colour on a solo journey too.

Embrace Me (L) and Dear Diary (R)

When I first swatched these two colours, I got twinges of joy because they both reminded me of NARS’ Mexican Rose.  Mexican Rose is deceptively pink and lasts all day.  Looking to make a statement? Then hop to it and add Embrace Me to your makeup bag; Dear Diary is sold out online and in stores (sorry ladies).

Embrace Me (L), Dear Diary (M), NARS’ Mexican Rose (R)

Mexican Rose certainly isn’t a dupe for either of these colours – it leans more red, whereas the other two have blueish undertones.  Embrace Me and Dear Diary both dry matte and require minimal maintenance; first, reach for your favourite lip balm, add a dash of Embrace Me, Dear Diary or both.

A few weeks ago I took both colours out for a spin, all told this duo hung around for eight hours.

Two hours into wearing Embrace Me under Dear Diary

Total amount for MAC Embrace Me and Dear Diary:

  • $30.00 AUS and $40.00 AUS

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 9 out of 10 bags – I’m a sucker for bright pink lips

Likelihood to purchase again:

  • Hi MAC, what else do you have in store for us this year?

 

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MAC’s Keep It Loose – swatch and review

July 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Released in eight shades last week, MAC’s Keep It Loose resonated with me the most.  I honestly think I was still coming down from Something Special’s peachy hue; I even checked with a sales associate her thoughts before purchasing.  The main point of difference is Keep It Loose has orange undertones, whereas Something Special leans pink.

Keep It Loose swatch

The main purpose for this collection’s release, I believe, was to break up two major summer collections Hey, Sailor and Heavenly Creatures.  Why not soften the blow by selling a small array of multitaskers?  I liken this to the centre of a Double Stuffed Oreo – light, creamy and the presence of milk is optional.  In Keep It Loose’s case, colour can be applied to the lips, cheeks or both! Ultimately, it’s all about having options.

In order to cap off my smoky Chanel look, I applied Keep It Loose onto the apples of my cheeks and painted my lips too.  If you don’t own a brush similar to MAC’s 190 Foundation Brush, your fingers will do.  Keep it Loose appeared dewy and natural on my cheeks, whereas my lips looked washed out and matte; after taking the pictures you’ll see here, I freshened up my lips with a bit of clear gloss.

Trying to keep things Loose

After taking Keep It Loose out for a test drive last night, I definitely think this peach of a shade makes for a great blush, but I have reservations with using it on my lips again. Personally, I found it to be drying and the colour wasn’t all that flattering on my super pigmented lips.

Total amount for MAC’s Keep It Loose:

  • $41.00 AUS and retails for $20.00 USD back in the States.

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 7 out of 10 bags – I should’ve had it applied to my cheeks before plunking down my moola.

Likelihood to purchase again:

  • Maybe another hue can persuade me to change my mind.  Thoughts?
Like my Chanel-inspired cardigan/blazer?  You can pick one up at your local ZARA; however, I could only find the pullover version online.
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